Before we go further, let’s first define “football character.” Football character entails a player’s work ethic, competitive nature, threshold for pain, football IQ, overall passion for game and level of play within these characteristics.

At the college level, a gifted player can dominate with his talent alone regardless of his lack of football character. When the player gets to the next level, it tends to catch up to him. Rarely does a player have a long career in the National Football League without football character since he can no longer mask those flaws with his talent as he once did in college.

Football character is the glue that allows players to establish themselves and create the needed staying power when their talent starts to erode. It allows them to continue to play well past their prime. The exceptions are so rare that you almost can’t even categorize them as aberrations - they’re that rare. It might surprise you to find out that most busts have more to do with a players lack of character than talent.

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While both “citizenship” and “football character” are important to his future success as a football player, I would say that the latter carries more importance. That’s the reason I would always say “we’re not looking for boy scouts” because our jobs are to win football games. We weren’t hired to serve the community. That’s not to say a player’s citizenship isn’t important because I feel like it is very important. I’m just saying that football character is more important.

In the end, you’re much better off drafting players who have talent with a strong history of practice and games started, than a player with elite talent, that can’t be counted on.

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On the other side of football character, we drafted a LB out of the midwest with a high first round draft pick. He was a hold out and got paid substantial money. Between partying, buying new cars and water toys, we rarely saw any of the type of play we had seen in college. He couldn't learn his assignments and couldn't be trusted to play every down. The player was late for meetings, fined repeatedly and it went on and on. It was one bad thing after another. If it weren't for drafting him in the 1st round we would have cut him after his rookie year.

I'd be lying if I said I don't have concerns.

__________________Hey O'Brien: "How do you tell a guy who is used to catching 80 balls a year that he was going to catch 40?"... You jackass.